Embedded Files
The Man with the Ebony Skull, Part 3
Dacien’s path to Lotho was blocked by two of his stone guards, so he channeled his conviction of the Caliber into an intimidating gaze that shook a number of the grey dwarves in fear. Pushing his advantage, he directed Centurion to force her way forward.
Attempting to disable the adventurers, Lotho conjured a stinking cloud over Kona and Lagûn. The paladin and his ward retreated and barricaded themselves into a nearby storeroom to evade the cloud and the continued pressure of the oncoming grey dwarves. Inside, Lagûn discovered an imprisoned umber hulk, who seemed to have been psychically tortured by the duergar. While unable to communicate directly with the beast, Lagûn could see that it was hurt and afraid.
Noticing the approach of Dacien and Centurion from behind, Lotho used his inherent psionic control of his physiology to shrink his size, making him a more difficult target. Afraid that Lotho would slip away, Dacien pulled out the magic scroll he had picked up in the Ice Anomaly. With a dark incantation, he used the scroll’s magic to summon two tiny Quasits to intercept and occupy Lotho as Centurion continued to push through his guards.
Meanwhile, Kona and Lagûn continued to knock out dwarf after dwarf, using the doorway to the storeroom as a chokepoint. Lagûn made some attempts to communicate with the umber hulk, but was unable to find a common language.
With the help of some of his henchmen, Lotho finally managed to dispatch the summoned demons. Free of the distraction, he started using psychic commands to force additional attacks out of his troops. While Centurion held off nearby enemies, Dacien shot at Lotho with his pistol, which triggered a strange planar mist effect, obscuring vision in the area.
Seeing his troops fall to Kona and Lagûn, Lotho suddenly realized the tide was turning against him and pulled one last psionic trick to turn invisible and make a break for it. Seeing their chance to escape the battle, the party members reunited and decided to flee from the rest of Lotho’s army and head toward where Dacien had seen Song Li held captive.
Before leaving, Lagûn used his augmented strength to break down the cell door holding the umber hulk. After carefully removing a metal circlet from the creature that appeared to be linked to the psionic torture, Lagûn found the umber hulk dazed, but not hostile. Unable to stay, the group left the beast behind, just as the pursuing group of duergar came upon the scene. Vaguely recognizing some of his oppressors, the umber hulk lashed out at the duergar, providing a convenient distraction for the party to make their escape.
On the way, they used the communication crystal to speak with Sister Goldfinch and check on Tongar’s status. The orcish ranger was close by, having completed his task back at camp. They decided to regroup with Tongar in the entrance warehouse before taking on the group guarding Song Li. While there, Dacien searched the supplies to find a set of components and materials from a broken-down Old Empire safe that he guessed he could use to craft a protective set of armor.
Tongar soon arrived, and together, they ambushed the dwarves in Song Li’s cell. Tongar cast a magical globe of darkness, which both he and Dacien could see through, making short work of the dwarves. They quickly released the injured Song Li, who seemed to be wearing a torture circlet similar to that of the umber hulk. Song mentioned a secret exit in the compound that they could use, but the group decided to take the more straightforward route back the way they came (though from Song’s description, it seemed that Lotho may have used the secret exit to escape).
Tongar Sureclaw
Back at camp, the group finally had a chance to catch their breath and debrief. Dacien and Kona compared notes about the operation and how they could improve their coordination moving forward. After a decent rest, Song had recovered enough to speak to the group. He explained that before his capture, he had been building a relationship with a lore keeper in the city, a hobgoblin named Erling. This lore keeper had been researching planar phenomena and seemed to have a theory about travelling between planes. Song had been interested because Erling claimed that Cinder Castle, the First Flame’s fortress, may be more vulnerable in another plane. Song suggested they go to see Erling at once to understand the full story.
He also offered insights into what he had found out about Lotho. He confirmed that there was some kind of break developing between Lotho and the First Flame, though for the moment Lotho refrained from outright disobedience. It seemed that Lotho was slowly building his base of power in Orkfal, perhaps thinking he would wrest control from whoever led the First Flame (Garyx himself, if you were to believe the cultists). With his operations disabled back at the compound, he had likely retreated back to Cinder Castle.
Together with Song, the party travelled back into the city to what appeared to have been a private museum or gallery during the time of the Old Empire. It had now been adapted by Erling into a well-hidden lab and collection facility. All around, they could see random materials scavenged from the Old Empire alongside pieces of planar material or technology. Erling clearly had a wide field of study, Song made introductions and allowed Erling to explain.
Erling's Hideout
Erling began by describing his theory of the planar catastrophe. Two planes, their home plane and another alien plane, had somehow become entangled. He believed that the event was no turn of fate, but caused by the machinations of some group in the other plane. For convenience, he had started calling their own plane the Dawnplane, and the alien plane the Duskplane.
The Duskplane, Erling continued, must have been a chaotic place, for this group had decided to undertake some kind of grand project, constructing a series of powerful machines in a bid to stabilize their world and pave the way for greater prosperity. They endeavored to somehow draw out the chaos energy from their world. They succeeded by using these machines to create anchor points to a closely related plane, the Dawnplane, and leaking that energy out into it. Each machine acted like a pin, piercing through the planar veil, existing in both planes simultaneously. These are what we recognize as Sanctuary Engines, those mysterious devices that appeared during the chaos. The destruction and transformation resulting from the incoming chaos energy is what we know as the planar catastrophe.
Erling
The adventurers recalled the Strangers who had claimed that they had had a hand in building the Sanctuary Engines. Erling nodded and thought it possible that the Strangers had been part of this Duskplane group, though he noted that a project of that scale would probably have required the coordination of multiple parties.
Whether inadvertent or not, the immense transfer of energy inextricably linked the planes together. As one plane becomes more ordered and stable, the other becomes more dangerous and chaotic. The planes had become mirrors of one another. For example, as the site around a sanctuary engine in the Dawnplane becomes stronger, its parallel site in the Duskplane becomes more vulnerable.
Song interjected here, pointing out the potential opportunity. Erling had discovered that Cinder Castle housed a Sanctuary Engine, the seat of the First Flame’s power. If the fortress was impenetrable here in the Dawnplane, then it would be vulnerable in the Duskplane. If a team could travel to the Duskplane and destroy or disable the engine from there, the rest of the forces could overcome the Castle in this plane.
While he had little interest in the ongoing war, Erling was eager to prove out his theories and had agreed to help Aurora Force if it meant that they would provide the resources and labour needed to build out a prototype device for planar travel. The adventurers remembered a similar device they had witnessed being built by the Stranger, the planar drill. Erling reacted excitedly, recognizing a parallel in his own work.
With the project approved by Aurora Force’s leadership, they got to work.
[An abbreviated game of Follow was used to narrate the process of creating the planar portal]
Quest: Develop the means for planar travel in order to turn the tide of the ongoing war.
This is difficult because:
Nothing like this has ever been built. We’re in unknown territory.
Even working on a prototype is dangerous.
Characters:
Kona
Wants From The Project: To avoid unintended effects of the planar experiment and prevent the technology from being misused
Want From Dacien: For Dacien to temper his ambition around the project
Dacien
Wants From The Project: To strike a telling blow in the war against the First Flame
Wants from Erling: For Erling to give him the copy of the Codex that he has in his collection
Erling
Wants From The Project: To prove out his theories and gain renown
Wants From Kona: For Kona to become excited for the project for the love of science
Challenge 1 (the only challenge for this shorter game of Follow):
Decide on the form and mechanism of the device. What does it look like? How is it used?
This is difficult because:
The nature of the planes is complicated
The more specialized the device is, the more riskier its operation
Scene 1: The Brainstorming Meeting
The group sits in Erling’s lab staring at a chalkboard to come up with ideas of form. Erling, excited by the idea of the planar drill, suggests a spear-like form that would pierce through the planes. Kona believes there should be a kind of safety valve to moderate its effects and a gentler form, perhaps that of a whirlpool or portal. Dacien suggests they need to push the limits to understand the potential. Through conversation, Erling comes around to Kona’s ideas about a more circular form, happy that the paladin is more involved with the process.
Scene 2: Contemplating a Power Boost
In Erling’s workshop, Dacien is proposing a modification which would increase the power of the device. Erling is also excited by this possibility, but Kona speaks the voice of reason, proposing that they should only use what power is necessary to accomplish the task, taking cues from the efficiency found in nature. Dacien takes the comments to heart, though Erling is less convinced.
Scene 3: Preparing the Mind for Planar Travel
Erling has brought Dacien and Kona to the Blue Marshes back to the myconid colony for something he claims will be important for the preparation of their minds for the chaos of planar travel. It turns out he has arranged for a session of inhaling psychotropic spores to “expand their consciousness.” Both Kona and Dacien are hesitant to participate, but that doesn’t stop Erling from breathing deeply. Knowing that he still wants the copy of the Codex from Erling, Dacien decides to take a reduced dose of the spores, which seems to loosen him up. Unexpectedly, he finds common ground with Erling in conversation, each bemoaning the social pressures others have put upon them. In the end, it’s unclear whether the process would help the process of planar travel, but Erling claims it did.
Final Outcome: White Stone, White Stone
The project is a success. Aurora Force is able to develop a type of portal, following Kona’s suggestion of a more circular, fluid form. Erling is happy that his theories are about to be proven practically. He intends to be part of the expedition group, though Aurora Force may have other ideas. Dacien receives the Codex from Erling’s collection, happy that he was able to obtain such a valuable part of his history and that the project seemed to balance each team member’s visions. Kona remains somewhat anxious about the implications of the device’s existence, but puts those thoughts out of his mind for the time being.
The device is enough for a small team to attempt to travel between planes. Aurora Force is set up for their grand inter-planar operation against Cinder Castle.
A Strange, Fluid Planar Portal
Loot:
Old Empire materials for improved armor
Metallic circlet, seemingly used as a medium for psionic torture
A partial copy of the Codex
-Scroll of Summon Lesser Demons
Google Sites
Report abuse